Columbus County Board of Education voted Monday to keep masks will be optional for students inside the classroom, but mandatory (as required by federal law) when using school transportation.
The board also put other precautions in place during the July 29 meeting to keep students healthy and safe.
The protocols for the upcoming school year are as follows:
• Maintaining a minimum distance of three feet as much as possible.
• Following sanitation standards put forth last year including disinfecting of various classroom surfaces between classes and in the cafeteria where students gather most frequently.
• Participating in COVID testing programs.
• Partnering with the health department to offer vaccine clinics on high school campuses. Clinics are being held this week starting today (Tuesday) at East Columbus, West Columbus on Wednesday, South Columbus on Thursday, and Southeastern Community College Sunday. See the related story at z2j.c7e.myftpupload.com.
“We will make adjustments, as we have over the last 18 months. Every time something new happens, we will come back and try to make adjustments based on what the requirements are,” said the superintendent of Columbus County Schools, Deanne Meadows.
In the event that a case of Covid 19 occurs in one of the schools, the district will follow requirements for contact tracing and quarantining decisions with the guidance of the Columbus County Health Department.
Students who are not vaccinated, or who were not wearing a mask at the time of exposure, will have to quarantine. The student will only receive their assignments, but will not have access to any virtual learning.
The Columbus County Board of Education scheduled monthly meetings will be held on Sept. 13; Oct. 11; Nov. 8, and Dec 13
All meetings will begin at 5:30 p.m., and the locations will be announced on the Columbus County School’s Facebook page.
For more information about Covid protocols, you can contact Columbus County Schools at 910.642.5168.
